The present invention is directed to an improved adhesive wound closure device which operates to evert the skin adjacent to the wound in order to reduce the formation of scar tissue.
As discussed in detail in the above-identified related applications, the skin is a complex structure which is made up of a number of distinct layers, including the epidermis or outer skin layer and the dermis, or germinal layer. It is the dermis or germinal layer which is the area of skin growth, and as pointed out in the above-identified related applications, remarkable reduction in scar tissue formation can be achieved by bringing both the epidermis and the germinal layer into proper alignment across the wound during wound closure. The full text of the related applications identified above is hereby incorporated by reference in this specification, and these related applications should be referenced for a more complete discussion of the nature of the various skin layers and the importance of bringing both the epidermis and the germinal layer into proper alignment in wound closure.
The earliest two related applications identified above disclose a number of wound closure devices which utilize both surfaces which are adhesively bonded to the epidermis and pins which are mechanically engaged to the dermis in order to achieve the desired alignment of both the epidermal and the germinal layers of the skin during wound closure. This approach has been found to provide remarkably efficient wound closure which minimizes the formation of scar tissue. However, in some applications, the full combination of adhesively bonded surfaces and mechanically engaging pins may not be required to achieve the desired alignment of the epidermis and dermis.